Pilot, Boy Killed in SW Fresno Plane Crash Identified

by KMPH Web Staff

KMPH Fox 26 News has just learned that the two victims of Thursday night's crash near Chandler Airport were Tim Farmer and his 8-year old nephew, Finn.

KMPH Fox 26 News received a statement from the family of Finn Thompson. Christina Askins, speaking on behalf of the family said, "We would like to thank everyone in the valley for the prayers and condolences. We feel your prayers at this difficult time in our lives."

NTSB investigators arrived on Friday and began sorting through the wreckage. Investigators took the single engine Cessna to Madera where they will piece the plane together.

Friends of the family tell KMPH Fox 26 News the plane actually left from Tehachapi and was headed into the Chandler Airport. Investigators say the plane made two180-degree turns before it clipped a tree. Pieces of the left wing were found in a backyard near the airport.

Friends say Farmer had radioed that he was concerned about the trees on approach and made two flyovers before attempting to land. Witnesses say the pilot tried to correct, but nosedived into the front yard.

Family friends and investigators say Farmer is an experienced pilot that has landed at the Chandler Airport before. NTSB investigators say Farmer is a licensed private plane pilot. Investigators say they're working on piecing everything together so the family can have answers.

"In hopes to ultimately determine what happened, why it happened, and how to prevent these types of accidents from ever occurring again,"{}says NTSB Aviation Investigator, Josh{}Cawthra.

Family friends say Tim Farmer is survived by his daughter and two grandchildren. 8-year old Finn Thompson is survived by his parents, an older brother and a sister. Finn was a third grader at Bullard Talent Elementary School in Fresno.

The preliminary report from the NTSB will be ready within five days. A full investigation could take anywhere from six months to a year. The cause of the crash could take another eight weeks after that.